Reply #41: "Wasn't one of them Asian?" [View All]

[nostamj]

Yes, the late Patsy Mink, Congresswoman from Hawaii



http://www.now.org/history/patsymink.html

The world lost one of its greatest citizens on September 28 with the death of Hawaii Congresswoman Patsy Mink. Girls and women also lost one of their most valiant and steadfast champions. Every woman today who is enjoying the fruits of her education and job opportunities, and every girl who has a chance to play sports in school, owes a nod of thanks to Mink who unremittingly and dauntlessly challenged old stereotypes about "women's place" and helped engineer the steady progress for women over the last four decades — parallel to Mink's career in politics.

Patsy Mink stood up and showed up for girls and women, often outnumbered and sometimes outmaneuvered. But she persisted, cajoled, humored and demanded of her colleagues that Congress attend to the business of over half its constituents. Among many accomplishments, she was a leader in shepherding the passage of Title IX in 1972 to promote educational equity. One of only two women ever to receive this honor, Patsy Mink was named a NOW Woman of Vision in June, 2002, in a ceremony honoring the 30th Anniversary of Title IX. In celebrating her life, we must rededicate ourselves to protecting her legacy by preventing the current efforts to dismantle this landmark legislation.